# Bodyweight Good Morning

A bodyweight hip hinge with your hands behind your head, targeting the hamstrings and glutes. Useful for learning the hinge pattern and as a warm-up before loaded hinges.

- Beginner · Compound
- Equipment: 
- HD video: https://media.seto.fit/exercises/good-mornings/video/male.mp4
- HTML: https://seto.fit/exercises/bodyweight-good-morning/

## Muscles worked

- Hamstrings: 8/10
- Glutes: 6/10
- Hip adductors: 3/10

## How to do the Bodyweight Good Morning

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, hands behind your head.
2. Push your hips back, keeping your back straight.
3. Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings, then return to standing.
4. Keep your elbows out and avoid pulling on your head.

### Full technique — 7 steps

1. Stand tall with feet about hip width apart and your hands behind your head.
2. Point your elbows out to the sides without pulling on your head.
3. Keep a slight knee bend and hold your ribs down.
4. Push your hips straight back as your torso folds forward.
5. Lower until you feel a strong hamstring stretch or your torso approaches parallel to the floor.
6. Keep your back flat and your knee angle nearly unchanged throughout the rep.
7. Drive your hips forward to stand tall and finish with glutes fully contracted.

## Common mistakes

- Rounding through the lower back
- Turning it into a squat
- Pulling the head forward with hands
- Overextending at the top

## Form cues

- Push hips straight back
- Stop at hamstring limit
- Hinge, don't squat
- Slight knee bend
- Stand tall at top

## How much to do

- **Strength**: 2–3 sets of 10–12 reps · rest 1 min · 4–5 reps in reserve · lower 3 s, pause 1 s, lift 1 s
- **Muscle growth**: 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps · rest 1 min · 4 reps in reserve · lower 3 s, pause 1 s, lift 1 s
- **Endurance**: 2–3 sets of 20–25 reps · rest 45 s · 4 reps in reserve · lower 2 s, lift 1 s

Reps in reserve: how many more you could still do when you end the set.

## Substitutes by equipment

Same muscles, same movement — pick the version you have the gear for.

- **Weight plates**: [Plate Romanian Deadlift](https://seto.fit/exercises/plate-romanian-deadlift/), [Plate Good Morning](https://seto.fit/exercises/plate-good-morning/)
- **Barbell**: [Zercher Good Morning](https://seto.fit/exercises/zercher-good-morning/), [Landmine Romanian Deadlift](https://seto.fit/exercises/landmine-romanian-deadlift/)
- **Resistance bands**: [Resistance Band Pull Through](https://seto.fit/exercises/resistance-band-pull-through/), [Single Leg Resistance Band Romanian Deadlift](https://seto.fit/exercises/single-leg-resistance-band-romanian-deadlift/)
- **Dumbbells**: [Single Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift](https://seto.fit/exercises/single-dumbbell-romanian-deadlift/), [Dumbbell Swing](https://seto.fit/exercises/dumbbell-swing/)

## Where to start and where to go next

Same muscles, same movement. Too hard for now — step down; once it gets easy — step up.

- **This exercise: Bodyweight Good Morning — 15% of bodyweight**
- Harder: [Feet Elevated Glute Bridge](https://seto.fit/exercises/feet-elevated-glute-bridge/) — 25% of bodyweight
- Harder: [Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift](https://seto.fit/exercises/bodyweight-single-leg-deadlift/) — 30% of bodyweight

## Quick answers

### What muscles does the Bodyweight Good Morning work?

Primary: Hamstrings 8/10. Also works: Glutes 6/10, Hip adductors 3/10.

### When should I do the Bodyweight Good Morning in a workout?

Warm-up. Done at the start to get the body ready. ≈ 4 min with rest.

### How many sets and reps of the Bodyweight Good Morning?

Strength: 2–3 sets of 10–12 reps, rest 1 min, 4–5 reps in reserve. Muscle growth: 2–3 sets of 15–20 reps, rest 1 min, 4 reps in reserve. Endurance: 2–3 sets of 20–25 reps, rest 45 s, 4 reps in reserve.

### What can I do instead of the Bodyweight Good Morning?

Weight plates: Plate Romanian Deadlift, Plate Good Morning. Barbell: Zercher Good Morning, Landmine Romanian Deadlift. Resistance bands: Resistance Band Pull Through, Single Leg Resistance Band Romanian Deadlift. Dumbbells: Single Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Dumbbell Swing.

### What is a harder version of the Bodyweight Good Morning?

Feet Elevated Glute Bridge (25% of bodyweight), Bodyweight Single Leg Deadlift (30% of bodyweight).

How we rate exercises: https://seto.fit/guides/methodology/

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